Supports – Brackets – Specially mounted or attached
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-28
2003-11-04
Ramirez, Raman O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Specially mounted or attached
C248S317000, C403S348000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06641097
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a device for mounting objects of various types to ceilings and walls, with a receptacle adapted for being directly connected to the ceiling or wall and an anchoring unit serving to hold the objects, the anchoring unit comprising a locking element for extending into the receptacle, a contact element serving to lie against the receptacle, and connecting means associated at least to the contact element for a connecting element, the anchoring unit being adapted for being mounted in the receptacle by rotating the engaged locking element relative to the contact element, and by a thereby caused engagement behind the shoulders of the receptacle.
Devices of the described kind have been known from practice for years, for example, from DE 196 17 750 C1. According to the device disclosed in DE 196 17 750 C1, a locking element and a contact element form an anchoring unit. The contact element is used to lie externally against the receptacle and locking element for engaging behind a receiving element. The receptacle is designed and constructed as a cross sectionally U-shaped element with inwardly projecting shoulders and retaining projections.
In the known device, the anchoring unit is extremely costly to construct and has only a limited operational reliability. Operative between the contact element and the locking element is a biasable resetting element, which is designed and constructed as a spring. After rotating the contact element relative to the locking element, the latter is able to move within the receptacle, and to return to its original position relative to the contact element. Accordingly, the resetting element or the spring used therefor causes the locking element to snap in within the receptacle. With respect to the assembly, such a spring is a costly component, inasmuch as it is necessary to provide for the resetting element or for the spring special contact surfaces or abutments within the contact element.
Moreover, the known anchoring unit operates only in combination with special connection means, which hold together the contact element and the locking element. To this extent, it is absolutely necessary that the contact element and the locking element be rotatably interconnected via a threaded rod or the like. At any rate, a special connection is mandatory between the two elements. Otherwise, these two elements would fall apart.
Furthermore, in the known anchoring unit, the contact element is provided with a very special sliding surface, which causes the locking element to rise. Accordingly, during the rotation of the contact element, the locking element is forced to remove itself from the contact element for purposes of overcoming the inwardly projecting shoulders or retaining projections of the receptacle, and engaging behind them as a whole. Likewise, such a construction is expensive.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve and further develop a device of the generic kind for mounting objects of any kind to ceilings or walls in such a manner that it permits a simple and safe handling in a simplest construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by the provision of a mounting device of the described type wherein the locking element connects via elastic means to the contact element, and wherein the elastic means serves at the same time for resetting the rotational movement between the contact element and the locking element for purposes of bringing the locking element to an engaging position during the rotation of the contact element, and holding it in this position.
In accordance with the invention it has been recognized that a particularly simple design and construction of the device is possible, when the locking element and the contact element are interconnected via elastic means, which simultaneously serves to reset the rotational movement between the contact element and the locking element for purposes of bringing the locking element to its engaging position behind the shoulders during the rotation of the contact element, and holding it in this position. Consequently, the elastic means equally assumes two functions, namely holding together the locking element and the contact element, and secondly causing with an adequate bias during the initial rotation of the contact element, a subsequent rotation of the locking element within the receptacle, so that when the locking element engages the shoulders from behind, the relative position between the locking element and the contact element corresponds again to the original positioning between the two parts. Described in other words, after insertion of the locking element into the receptacle, and upon rotation of the outer contact element which is positioned in contact with the outside of the shoulders, the locking element is initially restrained against concurrent rotation by contact with the shoulders of the receptacle so as to cause relative rotation of the elements. Once the resistance of the shoulders is overcome, the biasing force then rotates the locking element back to the original relative rotational position with the contact element so that the locking element is positioned behind the shoulders. Contrary to the device known from the prior art, special holding means between the contact element and the locking element are no longer needed.
Within the scope of a particularly advantageous development, the elastic means is designed and arranged in such a manner that during the rotation of the contact element relative to the locking element, it causes the locking element to become spaced apart from the contact element abutting the receptacle, and thus to lift for engaging behind the shoulders. Insofar, a third function is attached to the elastic means, namely to cause the locking element to lift for overcoming and engaging behind the shoulders. This results in a particularly simple construction of the claimed device, which avoids the usual sliding surfaces of the prior art for effecting a lifting of the locking element.
Specifically, the lifting of the locking element results from the fact that during the rotation of the contact element, the elastic means slides, pushes, or clamps at least somewhat between the contact element and the locking element, thereby causing a spacing to develop between the locking element and the contact element. According to the dimensioning of the elastic means, this spacing must be large enough for permitting an engagement behind the inwardly projecting shoulders of the receptacle. Afterovercoming the shoulders, the locking element is able to rotate within the receptacle, and to return to its original position relative the contact element, after fully engaging behind the shoulders. With that, a mounting of the anchoring unit is already achieved. For a stabilization, it is then necessary to screw together the parts of the anchoring unit, for example, by means of a threaded rod and a nut, as will be described further below.
Preferably, the elastic means is made of rubber. As a specific example, the elastic means may be an endless rubber band. In a further advantageous manner, the rubber band is looped about the locking element and attached to the contact element preferably in a biased state. In this state, the rubber band may extend with crossing band sections over the locking element, and engage behind the contact element through corresponding cutouts, so that in the biased state of the rubber band, a safe and elastic connection is realized between the contact element and the locking element, at least to an adequate extent, in order to move the anchoring unit to the engaging position.
When a rubber band is used as an elastic means, same may push with its respective band sections between the contact element and the locking element during the rotation of the contact element, thereby initiating a lifting movement of the locking element on four sides of the locking element or the contact element. An even spacing between the locking element and contact element is thus realized in that the l
Halpaus Wolfgang
Herzig Karlheinz
Alston & Bird LLP
Ramirez Raman O.
LandOfFree
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